In this March 3, 2006 file photo, David Chase, creator and producer of the hit HBO series "The Sopranos," poses on a set in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File)In this March 3, 2006 file photo, David Chase, creator and producer of the hit HBO series "The Sopranos," poses on a set in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File)

(Newser)
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Fans of The Sopranos will soon be able to dive back into that world—sort of. David Chase, who created the iconic HBO show, has sold a screenplay for a movie prequel to the series to New Line. The Many Saints of Newark (its working title) is also set in New Jersey, around the time of the 1960s Newark riots when conflicts between gangsters in the city's Italian and African-American groups were common. Details are slim, but some of the characters from the show will appear in the movie, and Deadline notes that based on the time period, Tony Soprano's parents could appear, as well as a younger version of his uncle Junior.

Reaction on Twitter ranges from the excited to the wary. Writes Kath Barbadoro, "Oh good, a prequel dealing with race, one of the only things the Sopranos sucked at talking about." David Amoyal thinks the fact that it's a prequel, not a sequel, is telling. Decade-old spoiler alert: "Interestingly [Chase] always said it would be a prequel even when [James] Gandolfini was still alive- which is likely another hint Tony was killed in last scene of the show."